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01
COAL
VERSUS
COMMUNITIES:
Exposing poor practices
by Vale and Rio Tinto
in Mozambique
.
Dr
Cl
au
de
Ka
be
mb
aa
nd C
amilo
Nhancale
OPEN POLICY 02
Coal versus Communities:
Exposing poor practices by Vale and Rio Tinto in Mozambique
Contents
03
Introduction
04
Total lack of transparency
and accountability
04
Vertical integration is undermining local
entrepreneurship
05
Poor corporate social responsibility
07
Lack of consultation
08
Government must share the blame
08
Necessity to capacitate civil society
08
Conclusion
01
OPEN POLICY 02
Coal versus Communities:
Exposing poor practices by Vale and Rio Tinto in Mozambique
RIO
TINT
O
Mozambique has attracted two of the world’s largest mining
companies – Brazil’s Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (Vale) and
the Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tinto – to extract coal
from the huge fields in Tete province. In 2010, Vale and Rio Tinto
were the second and third most valuable mining companies on
earth – worth US$169 and US$83 billion respectively.
VALE
Vale has already developed a US$1.3-billion Moatize coal mine in
Mozambique and made its first shipment of 2,200 metric tons of
coal in August 2011 through the port of Beira. Rio Tinto is expected
to start exporting coal in 2012 from its Benga project, which has an
annual capacity of 2.4 million tons. Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) has also
recently completed a US$4 billion acquisition of the Mozambiquefocused mining company, Riversdale Mining Ltd.
03
OPEN POLICY 02
Total lack of transparency and accountability
T
hese two projects – if properly taxed – would provide Mozambique
with additional revenues to fund its budget and help the country to
escape the aid trap. However, the impact of both companies’ investment
on local communities remains problematic and there is no guarantee that
these massive coal extraction projects are going to genuinely benefit the
people of Mozambique.
Indeed, Vale reportedly paid US$123 million dollars for the mining rights
but the money has never been registered with state agents. If this is
correct, Vale’s presence in Mozambique – far from benefiting citizens – is
undermining revenue transparency and accountability.
Furthermore, it is not easy to assess what impact these mines will have
on the Mozambican economy in general and mining communities in
particular since there is not much publicly available information about the
companies’ activities. There is no access to development agreements, while
contracts between the government and mining companies are confidential.
So civil society groups and citizens do not know the contractual terms
agreed to by their government and the two multinationals.
This refusal to make mining contracts public exposes the lack of
transparency and accountability in Mozambique’s extractive sector.
We hear that the Mozambican government wants to renegotiate
mining contracts but it is not clear when this will happen. And even
if the government does decide to go ahead with renegotiation, civil
society will not be in a position to contribute since the original
contracts are inaccessible.
Vertical integration is undermining local entrepreneurship
The two investments have provided a new lease of life to Tete Province.
There are new economic activities opening up and an influx of people
descending on the town. But beneficial links between the extractive
companies and local communities do not really exist.
Firstly, only foreign companies are benefiting from the procurement
of services and goods. The involvement of local entrepreneurs is nonexistent. Most companies involved in providing services to these big
projects come from Brazil and South Africa. According to Mozambican
civil society, everything that the two companies use is imported – from
food to construction materials. If this is correct, it contradicts Vale’s PR
spin that it is seeking to stimulate and develop local suppliers of products
and services for Moatize. However, Vale is said to be carrying out a
04
“The impression that
this model gives is
that uneducated and
unemployed members
of a community can be
dumped anywhere.”
survey of small- and medium-sized companies
in the Moatize district and the wider Tete
province in an attempt to identify potential
local partners and then capacitate them.
And secondly, civil society organisations
in the capital, Maputo, and Tete Province
are concerned that the few Mozambicans
who do possess the necessary expertise are
still not being considered for employment
with these two companies, which prefer to
employ expatriates.
Poor corporate social responsibility
These investments have also disrupted the
way of life of many local communities through
resettlement and by impacting on people’s
livelihoods and access to natural resources
(land, water and flora). These issues have not
been properly handled and pose a serious threat
to the long term image of the two projects.
A Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW)
research team visited three communities
resettled by Vale and Rio Tinto – Mualadzi,
Coal versus Communities:
Exposing poor practices by Vale and Rio Tinto in Mozambique
a Rio Tinto resettlement compound located
about 40km from the original Capanga village;
Cateme village, a Vale resettlement compound
with 720 families from the villages of Chipanga,
Mitete, Malabue-Gombe and Bagamoyo; and
25 de Setembro, another Vale resettlement
compound housing people from the same
four villages. Vale deliberately divided the
communities in two with employed villagers
moving to 25 de Setembro since it is closer to
Moatize and the mine. The unemployed were
sent to Cateme, 40 km from the town.
Vale has also used the resettlement process to
divide communities into those with formal and
those with no formal work. The impression
that this model gives is that uneducated and
unemployed members of a community can be
dumped anywhere. It also suggests that these
people or their children will never need to be
able to access formal work. The 25 de Setembro
compound is a vivid and ongoing example
of discrimination and the unjust, unfair and
deeply problematic resettlement programme
undertaken by Vale.
The SARW research team also visited the
original Capanga village, where a queen and
some members of her community are refusing
to be moved to Mualadzi, where Rio Tinto is
building houses. The queen said that there was
so much pressure being exerted on them to move
and join the 40 families that have already been
resettled but she does not want her people to
be moved in small groups. She wants the entire
community to be moved together – but only after
all the construction work has been completed
and basic services such as water and electricity
are in place. Resettlement should be based on
mutual agreement and consultation. But clearly
the community’s desire for collective relocation
has been ignored by the company.
Communities fear that if they continue to
be relocated in small groups before all the
construction work is done, their legitimate
demands will never be met. As they have
05
OPEN POLICY 02
learned from the people who have already
been resettled in Cateme and Mualadzi, the
companies are reluctant to complete projects
once communities have been relocated. Rio
Tinto moved people to Mualadzi before it
had finished building key infrastructure such
as school and clinics – and they have still
not been built. So children and sick people
from Mualadzi have to walk 5km to the Vale
resettlement compound of Cateme, where Vale
has built schools (primary and secondary) and a
clinic. There is also no water in Mualadzi so the
community has to rely on a water truck, which
distributes water twice a week. However,
sometimes the truck does not come. While
everyone suffers from this, the community’s
not happened even though certain communities
have already moved into their new houses.
The communities also claim that many other
pledges – such as paved roads, running water,
ambulances, land for farming and employment
– have not been fulfilled. Only the community’s
anger forced Vale to correct certain things.
Meanwhile, the areas are far away from town
with very poor access to the main road. In
fact, the inhabitants need to walk 10-15km to
reach the dusty and badly-maintained, main
road before catching a vehicle to town. It is
also difficult for relocated families to make a
living, especially in relation to the provision
of services and the financing of small-scale
“Community members believe that the resettlement
has been a scam.”
cattle are particularly affected due to the harsh
conditions created by the lack of water.
It is worth noting that the houses built in
Mualadzi by Riversdale (Rio Tinto) are much
better than those built in Cateme and 25 de
Setembro by Vale. Indeed both companies are
investing large amounts in building houses for
each displaced family. And the new houses are
far better than those left behind. But this is
where the good news ends.
Community members believe that the
resettlement has been a scam. Vale has
been accused of downgrading the quality
of the houses by not sticking to the model
house design that was negotiated with the
government and shown to communities. The
quality of the houses is also not what was
promised. After just few months of occupation
many houses are already cracking. Vale also
promised to build a water system but this has
06
economic projects. Without a carefullydesigned approach to stimulate investment,
productive economic projects and employment,
it is clear that these remote communities are
expected to languish in poverty.
But most importantly, the majority of the
people who are being relocated to Cateme and
Mualadzi are subsistence farmers. But there
is insufficient land, even though it is the main
guarantor of sustainability after relocation. The
land which was allocated by the two companies
may be sufficient for housing but it is not
enough for the housing and farming needs of
the communities. Each resettled family has – or
should have – received land for farming, but
some families have not received their promised
piece of land, while the communities complain
that the promised one hectare of land is not
enough for effective farming, especially as it is
not particularly fertile or productive land.
Furthermore, their new land has its own
owners – local people who enjoy the right to use
and exploit the land according to Mozambican
Land Law. Whatever the two companies might
think, there is no such a thing as empty, unused
land in this part of Mozambique. There is
already open conflict over the land between
the newcomers and the original owners of the
land. Needless to say, relocated families are
finding it difficult to access enough fertile land
to cultivate. They have been left poorer than
before they were relocated. Indeed, it is unclear
how they will cope.
What is clear is that the companies did not
seriously consider the question of productive
land in the relocated settlements, forgetting
that it is imperative for the communities to
continue with their agricultural activities.
Indeed, access to fertile land might the biggest
single challenge facing these communities.
Lack of consultation
The two companies have also been accused
by the communities of failing to consult
them. While Vale and Rio Tinto both claim
to have consulted widely, the communities
have denied that any serious consultations
ever took place. The communities say that
government has been doing most of the
talking on behalf of the mining companies.
According to the communities, the first
time they heard that they were about to be
resettled was when government officials
came to inform them about their imminent
move. As one community member put it,
“There was no consultation and no agreement
on the aspects of the relocation.”
According to community members resettled
by Vale, although a discussion on housing did
take place, “it took the form of the company
informing us rather than asking our views. In
fact, the construction of houses started before
we were even informed.”
Coal versus Communities:
Exposing poor practices by Vale and Rio Tinto in Mozambique
Indeed, communities have no written
agreements or minutes of discussions with
the companies or the government. Any
consultations that did take place were oral
and nothing was written down. This makes it
difficult for communities to register disputes
if – or when – the companies depart from the
initial agreement.
In addition, there has never been a
discussion on the social, economic and
cultural impact of the relocation on
communities. The communities claim that
government always tells them that mining
activities will bring development and
employment for them. But one member of
the community questioned the wisdom of
the government when she asked “we have
been moved so far from the mines, how are
we going to benefit from any employment?”
Local communities are always excited when
they see mining starting in their areas because
they expect to be employed by the mining
company. But the two companies have moved
people far away – up to 40km – from the mine
depriving them of any job opportunities. This
kind of resettlement is intended to ensure that
the communities cannot exercise their right to
lay claim to some of the benefits of the mining
that is taking place on their land, such as
employment and other social benefits.
This is a fundamental problem with the
resettlement approach used by the two
companies. By moving communities – the
real owners of the land – far away, the
companies are undermining the legitimate
claims these communities have over the
land, resources and the right to participate
in the benefits of mining. The investment
that the companies are pouring into the
resettlement areas should be regarded as a
one-off. After the resettlement programme
is completed, companies will turn their back
on these communities.
07
However, the relocation of these communities
will not only leave them impoverished economically. Given the manner in which the relocation
was carried out, the resettlement will also undermine structures of authority and respect, and
destroy the social fabric of the communities.
Government must share the blame
The problem in Mozambique is not only
with mining companies. The problem is
with government.
The central government controls all mining
activities rather than decentralising oversight
to provincial and local levels. Central government is resisting decentralisation because it
believes that there is no capacity at local level
and also out of fear that it will lose control over
the provinces if they become financially selfsufficient. Government also lacks a clear plan
for resource management from exploration to
extraction to commercialisation.
For example, it is still not clear which strategy
the government will adopt to move the coal
from Tete – whether it will use the road to
Beira and rail to Nacala or the Zambezi River.
Although Vale has used the railway to transport
coal from its mine to the port of Beira, experts
believe that the railway is not in a good
enough condition to support the heavy load.
Meanwhile, if the Zambezi River is used, the
potential for environmental disaster cannot be
ruled out.
Indeed, the exploitation of coal poses serious
environmental problems. It needs a decisive
government that carefully monitors and
evaluates the activities of the companies. The
Mozambican government has not been decisive
enough so far to enforce proper environmental
standards on these companies.
when the government – as in this case – does
not enforce labour standards. According to civil
society in Maputo, there is a strike every month
in Vale although the media does not report it.
This raises serious questions about the nature
of the media in Mozambique, which either
does not have capacity to cover this critical
sector or has decided to side with the company
considering its greater resources and influence.
Necessity to capacitate civil society
Civil society in Mozambique is very young with
limited knowledge and technical capacity. It
is also not properly organised to monitor the
extractive industries, which have such a critical
role to play in Mozambique’s development. It
is for this reason that SARW is training civil
society in Mozambique to monitor and report
on the extractive industries. SARW also intends
to work with communities to help them to
engage more effectively with the companies
and the government on key issues.
Conclusion
The two companies claim that they applied
the World Bank’s guidelines on involuntary
resettlement. However, it seems as though
the companies took a few short cuts along
the way. And in any case, the World Bank
guidelines should be regarded as the minimum
requirements – not best practices that can be
replicated in every situation. SARW believes
that these guidelines are neither sufficient
nor just for African communities. This is why
SARW is calling for mining companies to
engage in an honest consultation with local
communities to reach a common ground and
agree on practices that may well be markedly
different – and more pro-community – than the
World Bank guidelines.
The mission of the Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) is
to ensure that extraction of natural resources in southern Africa
contributes to sustainable development, which meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their needs.
SARW aims to monitor corporate and state conduct in the extraction
and beneficiation of natural resources in the region; consolidate
research and advocacy on natural resources extraction issues;
shine a spotlight on the specific dynamics of natural resources in
the region and building a distinctive understanding of the regional
geo-political dynamics of resource economics; provide a platform of
action, coordination and organization for researchers, policy makers
and social justice activists to help oversee and strengthen corporate
and state accountability in natural resources extraction; and,
highlight the relationship between resource extraction activities and
human rights and advocate for improved environmental and social
responsibility practices.
SARW focuses on 10 southern Africa countries but is also working
to build a strong research and advocacy network with research
institutions, think tanks, universities, civil society organizations,
lawyers and communities in southern Africa, the African continent
and beyond that are interested in the extractive industries as it relates
to revenue transparency, corporate social responsibility, human rights
and poverty eradication.
In addition, big projects like these often
experience serious labour problems, especially
08
09
Dr. Claude Kabemba is the Director of the
Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW).
Before joining SARW, he worked as the Chief
Research Manager of the Human Sciences
Research Council and the Research Manager
at the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa.
He has also worked at the Development
Bank of Southern Africa as trade policy
analyst. Claude received his PHD and MA in
International Relations (Political Economy)
from the University of Witwatersrand.
Camilo Nhancale holds an MSc in
Conservation Ecology (resource governance)
from the University of Stellenbosch, South
Africa and BSc in Biology from the Univesidade
Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique. He is
SARW’s country coordinator in Mozambique,
where he is involved in natural resource and
extractive industry governance research
and advocacy. He has been involved on EITI
(Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative)
and PWYP (Publish What You Pay) coalition
at national and regional level, advocating for
transparency, good governance and economic
justice in the extractive industry. He is also
an advisor to the Mozambican platform for
natural resource and extractive industries, a
coalition of civil society organizations. He is
contributor for the first SARW’s book on South
African Mining and Oil Companies in Southern
Africa, Corporate Governance and Social
Responsibilities. He also chairs the board of
KUWUKA JDA – a youth development and
environmental advocacy organisation. He has
also served as executive secretary for the land
campaign in Mozambique.